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Highway department reports winter budget overruns, Westville Road work and beaver issues
Summary
Highway staff told the Plaistow Board of Selectmen that heavy winter storms left plowing and salt budgets overspent, work is planned on Westville Road, several catch basins and beaver activity need repair, and cemetery layout and driveway-permit changes are under way.
Dan Gallatin, a highway department representative, told the Plaistow Board of Selectmen on May 5 that a long winter strained crews, contractors and budgets and that several spring maintenance projects are planned.
Gallatin said contractors and equipment took “wear and tear” over a winter that was busiest from mid-January through mid-February. He reported the outside plowing/contractors budget was overspent by “a little over $19,000” and the salt budget by “a little over $18,000,” but said the town’s salt shed is nearly full going into the next season.
The update included recent operations figures and event summaries. Gallatin said a household hazardous waste collection two Saturdays earlier saw 339 households in total, “a hundred and 2 of those were from Plaistow.” He said roadside pickup collected about 2,930 bags/items. He also reported the landfill was “very busy” after winter and that street sweeping has been delayed into next week because of scheduling with the contractor.
On infrastructure work, Gallatin said the town has obtained a driveway permit needed to pave a town road that ties onto a state road and said he had applied for DigSafe to locate utilities. He said he plans to meet with the contractor Continental to set a tentative schedule and would prefer to complete the Westville Road work before Old Home Day if weather and contractor availability permit.
He described several maintenance needs: four or five catch basins will require rebuilding, and he listed beaver problems at Old County Road near the highway, Fran Avenue, Forest Street and the Historical Society area. He said the contractor the town uses for beaver control is busy and that he is placing problem sites on that contractor’s list.
Gallatin also described early work on a cemetery expansion project and said the town is laying out sections and placing markers so the municipality has fallback burial space. He said some older cemetery sections have “a lot of unknowns” and that crews have been patching since March.
On operations and staffing, Gallatin said he expects to add sanders and plows back on trucks as the season ends and that the highway department currently has at least one open position; he said the department is looking “at least [for] 1” hire and would prefer applicants with a commercial driver’s license.
Gallatin closed by asking the selectmen to consider budgeting for periodic maintenance of park swales and brush cutting — he estimated a contractor-based plan might cost about $5,000 and be scheduled every two to three years to prevent future overgrowth.
The selectmen asked clarifying questions about scheduling and staffing and thanked Gallatin and the highway crew and contractors for winter work.
